behrman



Feb. 3, 1931. M. B. BEHRMAN SEAL Filed Sept. 28, 1928 INVENTOR BY fim I ATTORNEY 2/4 I Patented Feb. 3, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MARCUS B. BEHRMAN, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO SAMUEL KLEIN, OF

NEW YORK, N. Y.

SEAL

Application filed September 28, 1928. Serial No. 808,987.

My present invention relates generally to seals, and has particular reference to'a seal adapted to be irremovably associated with the end or ends of a tie member.

The type of tie member to which my present invention has particular reference comprises a string or the like to which agarment tag may be attached. It is a general object of my invention to provide a seal which will permit threading of the tie member through a garment and subsequent sealing of one or both ends of said tie member to prevent surreptitious removal of the tie member from the garment. For example, the opposite ends of a tie member to which a tag is attached may be united by means of the present seal so as to form a complete loop engaging with the garment, as through a buttonhole or the like, and irremovable from the garment except by mutilation of the tie member, the tag, the garment, or the seal. Or, if the tag at one end of the tie member and the seal at the other are sufliciently large, the same desired result may be achieved without the formation of a complete loop, and simply by passing the tie member through a relatively small opening in the garment.

A more particular object of my invention lies in providing a seal which is extremely simple in construction, small in size, yet highly efiicient in operation. It is one feature of my invention to provide a seal formed essentially of two pivotable jaws, the jaws being adapted to sandwich the tie member end between them and being provided with means for automatically locking them together as and after the tie member end has been so sandwiched. More particularly, it is a feature of my invention to provide the jaws in a manner which constitutes them complementary portions of a chamber, so that when the jaws are closed, the end of the tie memher will be sandwiched and clamped therebetween and in a totally inaccessible position within the chamber.

A further feature of my invention lies in providing the automatic means for locking the jaws together in an extremely simple manner which requires no unnecessary parts or mechanism. More articularly, I provide the locking means 1n the form of interengaging hooks, the latter being integrally formed on the jaws respectively.

An important feature of my invention lies in providing the entire device of a single integral blank of bendable material such as sheet metal, the hinging or pivoting of the jaws being effected by bending the metal, and

the chamber construction being accomplished by suitable initial shaping of the integral complementary telescopable portions of av chamber.

One means for clamping the tie member end between the jaws and within the chamber may be satisfactorily provided in the,

form of corrugations integrally produced on respective jaws.

For the attainment of the foregoing objects and such other objects as may hereinafter appear or be pointed out, I have constructed a device embodying the features of my invention and illustrated in the. accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a seal constructed in accordance with the present invention and operatively associated with the two ends of a tie member;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a development of the integral seal; and

Figure 4.- is a perspective view of the seal in normal open position, two ends of a tie member being illustrated in dot and dash lines to show the manner in which these ends are associated with the device.

For the sake of clearly explaining the nature of the present construction, I have shown a development in Figure 3 of the integral device shown in Figures 1, 2, and 4. It will be seen that thedevice is almost symmetrical about a medial line 10. On -one side of the line 10, I provide ajaw having a body portion 11 which is substantially rectangular and is defined by the lines 10, 16, 17, and 18. On the other side of the line 10, I provide a complementary jaw having ,a body portion 12 substantially equal in size and shape to the body portion 11. The body portion 12 is defined by the lines 10, 20, 23, and 24.

On the body portion 11, I provide a continuous upstanding marginal flange consisting of the top portion 13 and. the side portions 14 and 15.- The latter are substantially triangular, the apices of the triangles being arranged adjacent to the medial line 10, and the bases of the triangles forming integral a continuations ofthe top portion 13.

'The complementary jaw is also provided with a continuous upstanding marginal flange,the latter comprising the top portion 19 and the triangular side portions 21 and 22.

The bases of the portions 21 and 22 form integral continuation of the sides ofthe portion 19.;

This flanged construction is preferably accomplished by a stamping operation whereby the metal ofa flat blank is drawn in a well known manner. I

In the construction illustrated, the flange upon the body portion 12 isdesigned to telescope within the flange upon the body portion 11 when the jaws are closed by pivoting them-around the line of bending 10.

Before referring to the other figures, I wish to point out that the side edges of the portions 14- and are doubled back upon themselves in an inward direction, and that the corresponding side edges of the portions 21 and 22-are doubled back upon themselves in an outward direction. That is, the relatively narrow triangle 25 is doubled back upon the flange portion 14 by bending the same along the line 26. The triangle 27 j is similarly bent back along the line 28 onto the flange portion'15. e

Similarly, the flap 29 formed on the flange portion 22 is doubled back onto thelatter along the line 30; and the flap 31 is similarlv doubled back along the line 32 onto the flange portion 21. But the bending along the lines 30 and 32 is opposite in direction from the bending along the lines 26 and 28.

. As a result of this construction, .adevicesuch as that illustrated in Figure 4 is produced. It will be noted that the body portion 11, together with the flange made up of the portlons 13, 14, and 15, forms a jaw which is complementary in construction with respect I to the jaw formed by the body portion. 12 and the flange-made up of the portions 19, 21, and 22. The complementary nature of these jaws resides in the ability of the jaws, when closed, to form a chamber. In the illustrated embodiment, this chamber is formed by mutual v will underlie the flange portion. 13, the flange portion 21 will underlie the flange portion 15,

and the flange portion 22 will underlie the flange portion 14. I At the same time, it will be obvious that such closure of the jaws will serve automatically to secure them together. This will be due to the complementary arrangement and construction of the interengaging hooks provided, at one edge, bythe triangular portion 25 and the flap 29, and, at the other edge, by the triangular portion 27 and the flap 31.

I have found. it most satisfactory to corrugate or similarly deform the portions 11 and 12 adjacent to the line of fold or bending 10.

I have shown integral struck-up ribs or corrugations 33 upon the portion 12, and I have shown similar ribs or corrugations 34 upon I the portion 11, these ribs being staggered with respect to one another.

In Figure 4, I have shown the relationship of parts when the device is ready to be employed. One method ofutilizing the device resides in taking the two ends 35 and 36 of a tie member and laying them in parallel relationship along the line of bending 10, as shown. The extremities of the ends 35 and 36 may if desired extend beyond the seal as shown in Figure 4. Thereupon, the portions 11 and 12 are forced toward one anotherfby pivoting the jaws around the line of hinging. This will serve to sandwich the ends 35 and 36 between the jaws and to clamp said ends betweenthe portions 11 and 12. By suitably pressing the jaws together, a chamber is provided as shown in Figure 1, and it will be readily understood that the time member ends 35 and 36 will be clamped within this chamber. During the closing, the flaps 29 and 31 will frictionally force their way past the triangular portions 25 and 27 and will ultimately interengage with these portions as shown most clearly in Figure 2. Such interengagement, being wholly within the chamber, is obviously inaccessible, and as a.

site sides of the device, as distinguished from a the wide end thereof, surreptitious manipulation and tampering, in an endeavor to reopen the device without mutilation, is rendered particularly difficult.

Such locking thus associates the tie mem- I ber ends 35 and 36in an irremoyable manner with the seal. They cannot be forcibly withdrawn because of the clamping action which is enhanced by the corrugations 33 and 34. Nor can they be removed in the same manner as they were applied because of the.

fact that the jaws cannot be reseparated without total mutilation thereof.

y In Figures 1 and 2, I have shown a second method of associating two tie member ends with the seal. In this case, the ends are arranged in opposite directions, but the manner of association is otherwise the same.

Where desired, only one time member end maybe associated with the seal and such end will similarly be irremovably associated with the seal, such association being desirable for a number of uses.

Where the security of association is desirably to be doubled, the ends such as those shown in Figure 4 may be wound around twice or three times before the jaws are closed, but in any employment of the device, the features of simplicity and firmness of grip will be present as heretofore explained.

Although I have illustrated and described a construction wherein a die-stamping oper ation forms the jaws of the character shown, nevertheless it will be obvious that other methods of constructing the jaws may be employed where desired. For example, it may v e satisfactory in certain cases to start with a flat blank actually of the shape shown in Figure 3.: In such an event, the various flange portions will not form continuations of one another unless they are soldered, welded, or otherwise united after the marginal flange has been formed. The particular method of construction, and the particular type of blank from which the device is constructed, is wholly immaterial, however, from the standpoint of ultimate function of the device and the highly eflicient nature thereof.

It will be obvious that changes in the details herein described and illustrated for the purpose of explaining the nature'of my invention may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as ex ressed 1n the appended claims. It is there ore intended that these details be interpreted as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense. 7

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. A seal for an end of a tie member, com

prisin an integral pieceof bendable material shape to provide a pair of normally open pivotable jaw in the form of complementary and means integrally associated with said triangular portions and wholly within said chamber when the jaws are closed for automaticall securing the latter together in an insepara le manner.

2. A seal for an end of a tie member, comprisin an integral piece of bendable material shape to provide a pair of normally open pivotable jaws in the form of complementary portions of a chamber, each jaw comprising a substantially rectangular body portion and a marginal flange, the opposite side portions of said flange being substantially triangular, said jaws being adapted to receive the tie member end between them when open and to clamp said end within said chamber when closed, and means integrally associated with said triangular portions and wholly within said chamber when the jaws are closed for automatically securing the latter together in an inseparable manner,'said means comprising interengaging tabs formed on said triangular side portions.

3. A seal for an end of a tie member, comprising anintegral piece of bendable material shaped to provide a pair of normally open pivotable jaws in the form of complementary portions of a chamber, each jaw comprising a substantially rectangular body portion and a marginal flange,the opposite side portions of said flange being substantially triangular, said jaws being adapted to receive the tie member end between them when open and to clamp said end within said chamber when closed, and means integrally associated with said triangular portions and wholly within said chamber when the jaws are closed for antomatically securing the latter together in an inseparable manner, said means comprising interengaging substantially triangular tabs formed on said triangular portions by doubled-back edges of the latter.

4. A seal for an end of a tie member, comprising a pair of normally open hinged jaws constructed to form complementary telescopable portions of a chamber, the jaws being adapted to receive the tie member end between them when open and-to clamp said end within said chamber when closed, each jaw comprising a body portion and a marginal flange, the latter comprising substantiall triangular side portions, and means within said chamber for automatically securing the jaws together in an inse arable manner, said means being associated ith said triangular side portions.

5. A seal for an end of a tie member, com-,

prising a pair of normally open hinged jaws constructed to form complementary telescopable portions of a chamber, the jaws being adapted to receive the tie member end hetween them when open and to clamp said end 4 within said chamber when closed, each jaw comprising a body portion and a marginal flange, the latter comprising substantially triangular side portions, and means within said chamber for automatically securing the jaws together in an inseparable manner, said means comprising hooks formed on the triangular side portions of one jaw respectively,

and means similarly arranged on the other jaw for interengaging with said hooks when the seal is closed.

6. A seal for a tie member comprising a pair of tapering jaws, each jaw comprising a body portion and opposed triangular side portions and jaws being hinged. together at their tapered ends and forming complementary telescopable portions of a chamber when brought together with the portions of the aws adjacent the hinge in close association, said jaws being adapted to receive the tie member between them when open and to clamp said member between adjacent portions of the aws, and means for automatically locking the jaws together in an inseparable manner, said means comprising hooks carried by the opposed triangular side portions of one jaw and hooks associated with the other jaw and adapted to interlock with said first-mentioned hooks when the jaws are pressed together.

In witness whereof I have signed this specification this 21 day of September, 1928.

MARCUS B. BEHRMAN. 

